How Vocal Media Changed My Life

I first started with Vocal Media about three years ago. Then, not long after I joined, I had a downturn in ongoing health problems and a pretty bad accident. I stupidly fell off my bike going much too fast in the rain. Thank God the pavement was there to break my fall. Sadly, it also broke my left hip and leg and put me in hospital for three solid months.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, being bed-bound, my lungs collapsed along with my food processing system, which is another way of saying I couldn't poop. I have to say it was a very low point in my otherwise blessed life.

Eventually, I was allowed back home, but it still took me another six months to finally stop feeling physical pain from my injuries. As for writing, that was the last thing I wanted to do. I had never dialed in how much mental, emotional, and psychological trauma was part of having such a serious accident. I just did not know where to start all over again.

Then one day out of sheer frustration, I opened up Vocal Media looking for some sort of inspiration, and I found it. I saw some writing challenges and I quite liked the prompts, and hey bingo, that was all I needed to get going again. Before I knew it I was submitting to every challenge available. Then, something else very magical happened.

Other writers responded to my humble offerings and over the following three months, I finally began to feel a part of the Vocal Media Community. The mutual support here is truly astounding. And when other great writers leave you a message admiring your work with highly complimentary, kindly comments, it is very, very touching. As a result of that Community support, I have grown in confidence, as well as a writer. As a sign of my progress, I have finally had two Top Story Awards, which means I am definitely getting better.

As far as the accident and chronic ailments are concerned, I have made a full recovery to the point of now being able to ride my bike up to 20 kilometers a day. In the process, I have also managed to lose ten kilos in weight, which has been an enormous help in putting me in significantly better health than I was three years ago. Healthy body, healthy mind, healthy writing...they are all closely interconnected, I know that for a fact from past experience.

At this point, I would like to express my gratitude to all of the writers who habitually make positive comments on my stories and poetry. It feels like I have acquired a new group of friends from all around the world. And it is not lost on me that there is one very important contribution I can make towards fostering goodwill with other writers, reciprocity. That is..." the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit." In other words, to receive you also have to give. So of course, I follow those who follow me, as well as those who don't, yet. And I leave kind helpful comments at the end of their stories and poems. If you do that you are doing something which is good for both of you.

With younger, newer, less experienced writers, if I come across them, and I see room for improvement, I will diplomatically offer my advice. It is always appreciated. Even somebody as experienced as me is sometimes in need of constructive criticism.

Indeed, fellow writer Joe Luca, who I already knew from Medium, helped me out enormously with a story I just could not see how to improve. Joe worked with me on that and helped to turn a literary turkey into something worthwhile.

And so on we go, to Vocal Media infinity and beyond. See you at the beach.